Not even 12 hours after the ban, r/TikTok and others devolve into infighting and name-calling as the most addicted users are suffering severe withdrawal to the point of wondering how they will survive the next few days, while others remind them they have the internet. Responses get vitriolic.
Context : TikTok is an extremely popular app among young people, so popular that its most avid users spend 6+hours a day and its part of their daily routine. It got taken down yday and now users are freaking out on the sub and others. Before the ban, most of it was political, however, post ban its more of a doom mood. The key threads used here are
https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTok/comments/1i4ptv7/i_feel_lonely_in_a_way_that_makes_absolutely_no/
/r/TikTok/comments/1i4qfes/i_feel_like_my_world_got_smaller/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTok/comments/1i4p832/i_thought_i_had_until_12am_est/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTok/comments/1i4xbf7/people_arent_upset_enough/
I will include the nonpolitical drama first, as its more interesting than the political ones
Several users lamenting that their life is now meaningless and they are cutoff from all info
I feel lonely in a way that makes absolutely no sense. It’s not that I even posted often or had specific mutuals, but it’s like 80% of the world just disappeared.
Yes there’s something super alienating about this situation. We’ve been able to watch every major event in real time for the past 5 years. Now all of a sudden it’s lights out. It’s disconcerting.
First responses to "touch grass comments"
It's extra isolating because anyone who wasn't on the app, doesn't get it and thinks it's just a dancing teen app. It's so weirdly quiet on other platforms.
Replies (all downvoted)
Addiction can be hard to understand
Touch grass tho
This. You guys are literally experiencing withdrawals, like an addict who can’t get his fix. Open your eyes people, this should be a red flag.
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Life is hard. We all have our coping mechanisms. Losing something you enjoy and feeling loss is natural. If or when Reddit has this happen, you gonna be telling people on the street who are upset about it "that's a red flag bro"?
Another thread where ppl lament where they are gonna get their news from now
I had a blue sky account, But I deleted the app because it just wasn’t doing anything for me. I re-downloaded it this morning for that reason specifically. I refuse to go to Twitter, but I need to know what’s going on in the world and without TikTok…
More unhinged section
It's like I lost my friends, my comfort, and my access to information. I have loved seeing creators grow year to year in expressing what they love. I have found amazing musicians that have been in my top ten for years now. I get news from independent news as well as the big congomerates. I am truly devastated that 4+ years of my life and my growth (mostly recorded in my likes and saved videos) are inaccessible. It's so hard to explain how big an impact tik tok has had on my life. I'm grieving.
Deleted comment in that thread, but I was able to save it (mods are starting to delete as I'm typing this out) replies are still up though
I feel cutoff from the world and society. I know NOTHING that is happening, no news, nada. There could be a fucking GENOCIDE going on right now and the elites are preventing us from learning about it. I lost all of my friends, like they were fucking murdered in front of me. FUCK THEM, fuck everyone. I am alone with my thoughts and there is no outlet for me to let it out. I feel so fucking depressed. I don't know what to do with myself anymore. I don't even feel like waking up and going to school on monday. I don't have cable, all of my friends are gone and I don't know how to contact them without my account. I feel so isolated
Replies (that are still up) https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTok/comments/1i4ptv7/i_feel_lonely_in_a_way_that_makes_absolutely_no/m7zba3d/
This thread is gold lmao
They're literally complaining about not having an outlet for news WHILE ON FUCKING REDDIT. I've lost so many braincells scrolling through this post
I feel like I'm becoming an old lady who yells at clouds reading these comments. People can't possibly be so dependent and emotionally attached to an app like this. I refuse to believe
Less unhinged comment to let y'all recover
It’s the loss of connection to others
Replies
Relational damage can cause grief. It is a basic and old human experience.
Maybe you need to develop a social clique in real life
I'd be a bit sad and move on with my life
Everyone in this thread unironically sounds like an addict and the type of people who would benefit the most from TikTok getting banned
Yes. Unironically this thread has radicalized me against TikTok. You all sound so pathetic. It's scary. You just miss the constant dopamine rush. I'm going to be a dickhead about it.
User commenting they can't sleep (they didn't sleep the entire night judging from post history)
Same. Struggling to get my mind to shut off so I can sleep. As someone with anxiety and depression, living in American has be I’m so overwhelming.
literally no other app replicates the TikTok communities and algorithms. I keep trying to open the app and it’s just a defeating and depressing feeling. makes me kind of lonely.
Replies
I can't bring myself to uninstall the app, but I kept trying to open it as well. So I just moved it off my home screen and that helped the action. But it hasn't helped the feeling.
Advice to help ease the tension
If moving it off your home screen has helped with the action but not the feeling, maybe redirecting that emotional investment could help. Is there another platform or activity that might bring you a similar sense of joy or connection? It won’t be the same, but it could ease the transition.
General depression comments https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTok/comments/1i4ptv7/i_feel_lonely_in_a_way_that_makes_absolutely_no/m7ylipr/
I've gone through many sites dying out before, but this one has made me feel isolated in a way I've never felt before. I feel like I'm completely out of the loop with what's going on in the world, and it's a scary feeling considering the way it went down. I was starting to feel crazy talking to my family about it, but it's somewhat comforting? seeing others have similar feelings.
Completely cut off from the world
Best Reply to all of this
YOU LITERALLY HAVE INTERNET. Actual Brain Rot wtf.
General responses of users telling ppl to touch grass https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTok/comments/1i4ptv7/i_feel_lonely_in_a_way_that_makes_absolutely_no/m7zg3ny/
Holy shit. This app truly cooked your brain. The US government did you a favor. Time to touch grass
Lay off the internet for a while. How do you think people did it before any internet? They actually had lives
Addictions will do that. There's nothing stopping you from connecting to people, you just can't use tiktok anymore.
https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTok/comments/1i4ptv7/i_feel_lonely_in_a_way_that_makes_absolutely_no/m7zhqg5/
One of the more lengthy arguments btw gen x and gen z - https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTok/comments/1i4ptv7/i_feel_lonely_in_a_way_that_makes_absolutely_no/m7zhqg5/
Oh for God's sake. Go outside. Actually meet people. Form groups and do things together like every generation before you did for all of human history. Even in a small town, you can find people to hang out with who have mutual interests if you try.
I'm Gen X. I was a feral kid who practically lived outside when I wasn't in school and growing up all of my connections were face to face. I cannot fathom going into a public forum and complaining about how I feel so cut off because an app was shut down. And don't hand me some sob story about how some people have this or that limitation when it comes to leaving the house. Yes , I'm certain some people are limited in their ability to leave their house, but the reality is most Tik Tok users are perfectly capable of going out and socializing. Instead, they've chosen to make apps and social media their entire interaction with the rest of humanity. That's not healthy and it never will be. I've seen about a dozen posts this morning across the different social media platforms I frequent and they're all versions of this same lament you've posted here. Talk about a tempest in a teacup.
I don't use Tik Tok. I'm familiar with what it is and I've even been on it briefly, but there's nothing there that was that appealing for me, so as someone who specifically chooses to go outside and do things in person, I actually find these reactions funny. It's meant to be entertainment, not a lifestyle. A don't even get me started on how worthless the app is for getting news that isn't laden with conspiracy theories and misinformation. Anyone who gets their news solely from Tik Tok is not well informed, no matter how much they've convinced themselves they are.
Please feel free to down vote this comment. I don't care. I'm one hundred percent correct here and stand by what I'm writing. Or to borrow a quote from Rick and Morty, "Your boos mean nothing to me. I've seen what you people cheer
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As a gen z, may I ask an honest question? (Fair warning that you might see this as a “sob story” as you said, but I’m not whining, it’s just facts. How are we supposed to go out and make friends in this world, when some of us can’t drive anywhere cuz we don’t have a car, because we can’t pay for one, because the older gens won’t give us jobs? (and yes, I went to college and hold a degree) and even if we did, where are we supposed to go to meet people? My mom is gen x, and she said people used to hang out at malls, and fast food places, etc. now, you go to those places and there aren’t many young people like there used to be. We don’t have a physical “third place”. My town doesn’t really have any clubs or community events for things I’m interested in. TikTok (and i suppose Reddit) is/was the closest we had. And most people you do see, are busy doing their own thing. So tell me, what are we to do? Go up to random people in stores/coffee shops and be like “hey, I’m John Doe, wanna be friends?” Cuz that doesn’t actually seem like the best approach. When’s the last time you went up to a stranger, talked for a while, and then kept in contact afterwards? I wish it were that easy, I long for actual face to face, and I wish at times I’d be born in your time and grew up the same way, but that’s much harder in the world we live in now. I wish no hate to you, or gen x. I only wish you’d try to understand a little. (And honestly, if you could provide me with a clear understanding of your perspective as well, I’d be glad to listen. I’m all ears for solutions, provided they’re not just hating on us for being online) Just so you know, I had friends in highschool, but we grew apart for various reasons, so I’m very capable of talking face to face.
Hate against Reddit and other app section, also my friends are dead
Idk why it feels like I lost a friend almost. It pisses me off that all these people on Reddit just hate on us because we liked an app. Pretty sure everyone is addicted to something because it helps them get by day to day. I liked TikTok cuz it distracted me, I got to see cool stuff, talk to people and relate to them and help shelter animals get adopted. I guarantee you that most these people taking shit probably used the app at least a couple times and if their source of escape or favorite apps, games, tv shows etc whatever were taken away they’d feel like shit too. I’m not even just sad about tik tok. I’m sad about a shit ton of stuff going on in the world and it’s just gonna keep going downhill from here. https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTok/comments/1i4ptv7/i_feel_lonely_in_a_way_that_makes_absolutely_no/m7ysfts/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTok/comments/1i4qfes/i_feel_like_my_world_got_smaller/m7z0dlw/
Typical reddit rxn, someone shares vulnerability and they're told to go outside and touch grass. People are allowed to feel their feelings.
The silliest part is that if reddit gets banned next, they'd lose their collective mind
its why i dislike this site too because its been like this as long as i can remember, people on TikTok are generally much friendlier and less judgemental, it was easier to build or have some semblence of community
People really do need to go out and touch grass.
More redditors trying to calm tik tokkers down
https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTok/comments/1i4xbf7/people_arent_upset_enough/m7z7wg4/
No offense, but reading this forum is like looking at a substance abuse subreddit. You people are legitimately demonstrating withdrawal. It’s a social media application that boils down to dopamine fodder, and honestly, your brain is better off without. I don’t mean any disrespect either by saying this. I truly get it and hope you guys find solace. It will be better in the long run without the brainrot, though the short term does suck, I feel for you all.
Final big rageout drama
It's now 8 in the morning, Been up all night with my thoughts, I think this is a plot to make us more isolated and alone. I don't know what to do anymore. Where am I going to get information on new books to read from Booktok and share my experiences. Where am I going to learn about the world and find new hobbies? All of my recipes I saved on the app are gone, how am I suppose to eat without paying exorbitant prices for restaurants. I'm so done
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MOTHERFUCKER YOU HAVE THE INTERNET
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I don't have time to find 100 different websites to cater to my needs. I have a job and classes. With TikTok I can just scroll and it will show me the data I need. What, am I supposed to spend 30 minutes finding a good cooking website, endure 10minute videos on YT? With Tiktok it gives me what I need immediately. Where do I even go for news and fun science facts?
Update - A Gen Z just set fire to a congressman's office due to the ban https://www.fdlreporter.com/story/news/local/2025/01/19/tiktok-ban-cited-in-arson-of-us-congressman-glenn-grothmans-office-in-fond-du-lac/77825530007/ - These kids are unhinged.